TRD Spices Up the Toyota Highlander, Making the Unpossible Possible

Among the batch of TRD-fettled machines Toyota debuted at SEMA this week—Camry, Corolla, Avalon, Land Cruiser—also sits this Highlander. The idea behind them all is to zazz up the most narcolepsy-inducing members of Toyota’s lineup with special paint, body kits, and wheels, and to gauge reaction for possible production.

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So as you’d expect, this Highlander looks very similar to the rest, which is to say it looks shockingly good. The same Silver Pearl paint was applied to Toyota’s mid-size crossover, which also gets lowered by 1.0 inch up front and 1.5 inches out back. The factory wheels and tires were swapped out for a set of hot, 20-inch TRD pieces painted bronze and wrapped in Michelin tires, while the powertrain was untouched save for a TRD exhaust.

The body kit also is supplied by TRD, and the new front and rear fascias and side sills go a long way to giving the Highlander some actual menace. Inside, the Highlander received what Toyota says is “the most significant interior upgrade” of any of the TRD cars, as it’s lined from stem to stern in black leather with red accent stitching.

As mentioned, Toyota is looking for feedback as to whether it should offer vehicles like the TRD concepts for sale, and that fits with the full-scale TRD assault executives started discussing earlier this year. So long as none of the TRD models get watered down in their transition to showrooms, bring them on.